Chapter 609: Human Trafficking?
The bearded driver and the motorcyclists led over forty women and children along the rugged mountain path shrouded in milky-white mist for more than an hour. Eventually, they arrived at the first checkpoint leading to the Grandpa Lakeside Camp.
The midway checkpoint was a small fortress built from piled mountain rocks, complete with stone walls. Roughly thirty armed soldiers guarded the station, their rifles at the ready. The bearded driver stepped forward, presenting some kind of token to the guards. After a brief inspection, the gates of the checkpoint opened.
A burly one-eyed officer emerged, accompanied by four fully armed soldiers. The soldiers first inspected the supplies transported on the motorized carts by the bearded driver and his team. Once the goods were verified, they began counting and inspecting the women and children.
The process was disturbingly straightforward. The soldiers treated the women and children like livestock, scrutinizing them one by one. They checked their teeth, hair, and other physical features, as if they were appraising animals.
Each time a woman or child passed inspection, the bearded driver received a stack of what appeared to be currency.
Human trafficking?
The thought surfaced in Li Xiaofei’s mind, his expression darkening. Finally, all the women and children, including the young woman in the baseball cap and the dimpled little girl, were fitted with strange circular armbands after passing inspection. They were then herded into the fortress to rest.
At the end of the process, the bearded driver pointed toward Li Xiaofei and his group as he whispered something to the one-eyed officer. The tall and muscular officer looked at Li Xiaofei with wide eyes.
Without warning, he slapped the bearded driver across the face several times, the sharp sounds echoing through the air. The officer yelled at him angrily, his voice harsh and commanding.